WTN: 2010 Las Lilas Verde Vinho Rose'. Douro Valley

11% alcohol by volume. First tasted at a wine dinner at Zely & Ritz, Raleigh--purchased two bottles. Attractive orange-coral color. Fizzy when poured. Flavors of a summer berry patch--mainly strawberries and raspberries with a touch of citrus. Balanced acidity. I had this one evening with sloppy joes and boiled potato and the next day it was a pleasant sipper while watching the Michigan-Ohio State football game. (I rarely drink beer although that is more likely associated with watching football games.) Refreshing summery drink.

They tend to make VV rose from some unusual grapes like Espadeiro. Any indication of the varieties being used? I must confess, that I've never really found a Portuguese rose that I really liked a lot (Casal Garcia VV rose is pleasant, fun wine but that is about as good as it gets). BTW, Douro is a separate region from where vinho verde is made. That part of Portugal is called the Minho and runs from north of the Douro up to the Spanish border.

I don't know which grapes were used. I had mentioned this wine after the wine dinner last summer saying that I thoughtVerde Vinho was always from white-wine grapes and others explained that this is not the case.

It did say on the bottle Douro Valley, and that was echoed in one online source I found quoted below (a retailer called Table Wine in Asheville, NC) It also names the grapes, Espadeiro being one of them.


RoséVinho Verde, Portugal

$10.00 — $15.00Las Lilas is part of the new wave of extreme values coming out of Portugal these days. Their vineyards are nestled in the valley of the Duoro River, clinging to slopes at 1000 feet altitude. Vinho Verde is both a region in northern Portugal and a style of wine – verde means green and refers to they youth of these wines.

It is a blend of 60% Vinhão, 30% Borraçal and 10% Espadeiro, and it is dangerously drinkable with super juicy notes of ripe cherry, strawberry and watermelon and just a bit of sparkle. Make sure to buy two bottles of this one, because I can pretty much guarantee one isn’t going to do it.

Hmm, it has 60% Vinhao - that is suprising, since this is an intensely colored teinturier grape (red juice) often said to make the best VV reds. It tends to be an acquired taste!
I went to the website of the VV regional comission (http://www.vinhoverde.pt/en/) and found that Las Lilas is a product of the Ponte da Barca Coop, which is certainly not getting their grapes from the Douro valley (most famous for those beautiful terraced vineyards and port), so someone has got a geography problem. Some of the coops in the Minho make quite nice wine; try the 2010 Portal do Fidalgo Alvarinho from PROVAM for one.